Traumerei
by judaiandjohan
Summary: After getting his ghost powers when he was 4, Danny is kidnapped by Death Eaters. 7 years later he receives his letter to Hogwarts, but will he ever learn to trust other people again?
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! I'm here with a new fanfic, the first one I've actually written for the Harry Potter fandom. Granted it's a crossover, but it is still a first to me. I actually came up with this idea a few months ago but I wasn't sure I would be able to work with it. After talking to my friends in a chat for a while and getting their help with some ideas, I was finally convinced I could make it work.

Now the name itself kind of has a special meaning to me. I bought a game called Persona 4 a few months ago and although I wasn't able to play it, due to not having a PlayStation 2, I could listen to the soundtrack, since it was a CD that came with the game. I have experience naming two of my stories after soundtracks in the game that have influenced them. They were named by a close friend of mine who had played Persona 3. So at first I looked at the list of names that could fit this story, sharing ideas with my chat friends. We went back and forth on a few until I saw a specific name. Traumerei was one of the names that stuck out most to me, and when I listened to the track, I knew it was perfect. The name fit the story, and the song itself captured the mood. I recommend you go give it a listen as it is a good soundtrack. You would have to look up Persona 4 Traumerei as there is another song by the same name and it was not influenced by that version.

That's pretty much all I have to say here, other than the disclaimer which is coming right up. That's it for now, see you at the bottom! _**Judaiandjohan does not own Harry Potter, Danny Phantom, Persona 4, or any of their characters. She owns only the plot and any OCs she may include in here.**_

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"Mommy, daddy!" A young boy shouted, running downstairs, his bright blue eyes shining with joy. When he got to the bottom of the stairs he looked around, trying to find his parents. He walked through the living room and into the kitchen, calling to his parents.

When he didn't get an answer, he walked over to the door that led to the basement. His parents were usually downstairs in the big room when they didn't answer him. He liked to go down there, his daddy always gave him fudge and he would sometimes let him play with their shiny toys.

Danny ran down the stairs and into his parents' lab. He saw them playing with some sort of hole in the wall. "Mommy, what are you doing?" Danny asked, causing both his parents to jump. His parents both turned and looked at him in surprise.

"Danny boy, what are you doing down here? We told you to stay upstairs with your sister." His dad said, walking over and picking the 4-year-old up.

"I got bored." The 4-year-old whined. "What are you doing?" He asked, curious about the big hole in the wall.

"We're building a portal to the Ghost Zone Danny. As soon as we break through, we're gonna give those spooks a run for their money." His father said, becoming very enthusiastic about the subject.

"What's a portal?" Danny asked, he had never heard the word before, and as such had no idea what it meant.

"A portal's kinda like a door, and this one's going to take us right into the ghosts' home." Danny giggled happily. He didn't understand what his parents were trying to do, but seeing his dad so excited made him excited as well.

"Jack, please put Danny down and come help me with this." Jack nodded, placing his son down and handing him a toy to distract the boy. He then walked over to his wife and helped her with said project.

Danny's attention was held by the object for only a few minutes before he grew tired of it. He dropped the toy and stood up, walking around the lab. He was surprised to find that his parents weren't in front of the portal.

He walked over to the giant hole in the wall, curious about what it did. He peaked through the hole, captivated by the glowing green lines on the inside. He decided to take a look inside, his parents wouldn't mind right?

The hole was definitely bigger than it looked, it had to be as big as his room! He heard something humming and the green lights on the wall brightened. "Danny!" Danny whirled when he heard his mother's panicked shout. He had barely caught a glimpse of the fear on his mother's face before he was blinded by a bright light and his body was engulfed in crippling pain.

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I bolted upright with a choked gasp, tears streaming down my face. I sobbed quietly cried for a few minutes before the sobs became little hiccups. Eventually those also stopped, but I was still shaking slightly.

God I both hated and missed that dream. It was the last pleasant memories I had with my parents, but the memory of the accident was one of the most painful ones. I was just thankful it wasn't the one about the day I was taken.

My body was covered in a clammy sweat and I shoved my blankets off. The blankets were ratty, dirty and thin, but they were the only thing I was given for warmth. I neatly folded them and tucked them in the corner of my little cell.

I stretched, before looking around, my room was nothing short of an actual dungeon. The floor, walls and ceiling were made out of stone, and in the corner of the room, closer to the ceiling than the floor was a window with bars, although the bars seemed unnecessary due to its size. A house cat would struggle to get through it.

I move over to the door and try to open it, locked. Looks like Master didn't want me out of my room today. I sighed and walked back to my pile of blankets and slumped onto the floor, leaning against the wall. I wondered if Master would let me eat today, I hadn't done anything wrong today, and yesterday had been quite uneventful.

After a few minutes of waiting I heard the lock in the door click and I jumped up. That was the sign that I was allowed to walk around the house and eat, unless Master himself said otherwise. Instead of opening the door I simply walked through wall and out into the hall. It was one of the powers that made my life so much easier.

Intangibility and invisibility were my most commonly used powers. Intangibility was probably the first power I developed. The first time I remembered using it, I was probably 4 or 5, and I had been wandering around Master's house, exploring. I hadn't been looking where I was going and walked right into a coffee table.

I hadn't walked into the edge of it. I had literally walked into the table and became tangible with my body stuck in the wood. That was definitely a painful experience and I was wailing in pain for several minutes before my Master came and was able to get me out. Unfortunately both the wailing and actually getting me out of the table had made my Master furious and he had punished me severely.

I had worked on that power as much as I could, not wanting a repeat of that incident. It took me a few days, but thankfully I never had that happen to me again. That power actually came subconsciously, if I would normally walk into something, like a door, a wall, or even a table, I would just pass right through it.

Invisibility quickly followed that incident. I had been wandering through a room in the mansion that my Master had forbidden me from entering. At the time I didn't know it was a forbidden room, but I quickly learned the rooms whenever I was caught in one. I had been playing with my intangibility, wandering throughout the house while phasing through the walls.

Eventually I ended up in the forbidden room and at the exact moment I realized where I was my Master walked in. I panicked, not wanting to be punished so soon after the intangibility incident. I felt my Master's eyes sweep the room and I shivered as they settled on me. I held my breath, ready for my punishment.

I was surprised when he looked away, paying me no attention as he walked past me. I regained my senses and bolted out of the room, not wanting to push my chances. When I was a safe distance from the room, I finally stopped.

I had ended up in a bathroom and walked up to the mirror. I gasped when I couldn't see myself, I gaped at the mirror, wondering where the heck my reflection was. I grabbed my face and pinched it, making sure I wasn't dreaming. I was shocked when I slowly started to reappear in the mirror, starting from the top of my head and ending at my feet.

Working on invisibility took a lot longer and was harder than intangibility. Mostly because my invisibility would trigger for no reason. Eventually I was able to control it for the most part, but whenever my emotions spiked, mostly in fear, I would lose control of them.

Over the past 6 years developed two more powers, flying and ectoblasts. I wasn't able to practice these two as much as the other two so they weren't as well honed. Flying was definitely my favorite power. It made me feel free of all chains my Master had wrapped around me, although that was probably why I wasn't allowed to do it.

When I felt myself phase through a wall I pulled myself out of my thoughts. I corrected my path and headed right to the kitchen. I was greeted by the family's house elf and he handed me my breakfast. I'd tried making my own meal for a while, but he usually insisted on doing it for me. Occasionally when he was busy I'd sneak down and make the two of us something before heading back to whatever I was doing.

I liked the house elf a lot. He was sort of like me, stuck in this house and forced into serving Master. He was in charge of pretty much doing all the cleaning and cooking in the mansion, and he was usually treated like dirt. He was only given a tea towel to wear, since if Master gave him any other clothes, it would liberate him from bonds. I wished it was as simple for me, but sadly, I was stuck. I thanked the house elf for breakfast, grabbed it, and walked out of the kitchen.

I started to make my way to the library. That's usually where I spent most of my time since most of the mansion was off limits and I developed a love for reading. I loved to read about the different kinds of magic and creatures out there.

Activating both my invisibility and intangibility, I started walking through the hallway. I munched on my breakfast as I phased through a wall into the dining hall. Several voices caught me off guard, nearly causing me to lose my invisibility.

My Master sat at the head of the table with his wife and his son. A few owls had landed on the and Master had taken the letters from it.

"Father, has my letter from Hogwarts arrived yet?" Master's son asked.

"Not yet Draco, however I believe it should be coming- ah, here it is." Master pulled a thick letter and handed it to his son. However, he looked surprised when he pulled a similar looking letter out of the pile.

"Another letter, who's it for Father?" His son asked, looking up from his opened letter.

Master's eyes scanned the front of the letter, his brow furrowed. After a few seconds he put the letter down and looked back at his son. "It's nothing of your concern Draco. Narcissa, as soon as we are finished eating, follow me to the study. We have something to discuss." His wife nodded and they went back to eating.

I walked out of the dining room, not wanting to be in there longer than I needed. I finished my breakfast just as I reached the library and I phased in. I grabbed the book I had been reading yesterday and slumped into the nearest seat.

The book was one of my favorites, it had all kinds of information about space, the stars and the planets. It taught me everything I knew about the different constellations and the planets. After I read it the first time, I spent hours outside trying to find the constellations the book showed.

There were also explanations about how alignments of planets could cause certain things to happen. I had read through those as well, but I didn't pay as much attention to them as the actual planets themselves.

When I first grabbed it years ago it looked like it hadn't been touched in ages. Perhaps it was something my Master and his family had no interest in.

I curled up on the chair, the book tucked comfortably in my lap. I flipped through the pages, heading right to the stars. I loved to spend my time in here reading the different book my Master had available. I learned about a potion that that makes the drinker successful at everything he attempts for a short period of time, people with the ability to change into an animal, and a spell that could make a huge building the size of a penny.

I was completely absorbed into the books for a few hours. I was pulled out of them by a small pop a few feet away. I looked up and saw the house elf standing there. "Hi Dobby." I greeted him with a smile.

He smiled nervously at me before saying "Master Malfoy wishes to see you in his study immediately."

I cocked my head to the side slightly, why would he want to see me? I hadn't done anything wrong today so hopefully it wasn't for punishment.

"Thanks Dobby, I'll be right up." I told him nervously.

As soon as he left, I closed my book and tucked it back on its shelf. I walked out of the library, phasing through the walls as I made my way to Master's study. Usually it was one of the rooms I wasn't allowed in, but when he called me in there, he expected me to come.

I came to a stop as I got to the door. I took a deep breath to calm down my nerves before knocking on the door. I waited patiently for permission to enter, another lesson I had quickly learned after the first time I made the mistake. When I finally got a response, I walked in and kept my eyes glued to the floor. I kneeled down on the floor keeping my head bowed. I wasn't allowed to look at my Master unless I was given permission.

"Well well ghost child, it appears you have more power than we thought. Do you know what this is?" I looked up to see the letter he had gotten at the dining room table. I shook my head before looking back at the ground.

"It is a letter to the most prestigious magical school in Europe, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And somehow you have received an invitation." My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, what did that mean.

"Now, I had no intention of letting you leave this manor until the Dark Lord returned. However, my wife has made it apparent that the Ministry might find it suspicious that there is an underage wizard not attending school. They would come investigate, as an under aged wizard could blow the Statue of Secrecy, and we can't have that now can we?" I kept silent, there were times he wanted me to respond, but this wasn't one of them.

"So we have no choice but to send you to Hogwarts. However, I want you to remember that I am still more powerful than you, and I am your master, do you understand?"

"Yes Master." I quickly responded, not wanting to be punished.

"Good boy. Now, Draco will be attending with you, and while you're at the school, you will answer to him, if you misbehave he has permission to punish you as he sees fit, understood?" I nodded. "Tomorrow we will go out to the get the supplies you'll both be needing for school and you will accompany us. We will be leaving at 8:30, do not be late, you may leave now." I bowed before walking out of the room.

I headed back to the kitchen as I thought of everything Master told me. I hadn't left the mansion since they had first brought me here. Now I was going to be attending some sort of magic school with Master's son for I don't know how long. I would have to go through the books in the library to see if there was anything on this Hogwarts.

When I got to the kitchen and saw that Dobby wasn't in, I decided to make myself two sandwiches. After I finished making them, I headed back up to the library, ready to start on my research.


	2. Diagon Alley

Hey guys, I'm back! Wow, I did not think this story would be so successful so quickly. I want to say thank you to everyone who added this story to their Favorite/Follow list and a big thank you to those who reviewed. I borrowed parts of this from the Sorcerer's Stone if it looks familiar. I had someone leave a rude comment and I thought I'd answer the person here for everyone else to see.

Hello there Matt. I've seen you on another author's story pulling the same thing you did over here, although you called her readers idiots or something along those lines. Now, I understand your question, as I have already thought through that idea. I would have been happy to explain to you through PM had you been logged in and had you asked politely. However, you were not and you were also rude in the way you asked so I have no choice but to answer your question here.

There are several things that are keeping Danny from just using his powers to escape the Malfoys. The most prominent one being a Tracking Charm that Lucius has on him. I borrowed that idea from the story 'Spirited Away' so check it out if you want more details on the charm. This would allow Lucius to track Danny down, no matter where he went, as Danny has no idea how to access the Ghost Zone. Danny knows this charm is in place due to an attempt to run away when he was much younger.

This leads to the second major factor, psychology. Danny had been under the Malfoy's control for several years, and he's been reminded time and time again that the Malfoy's are his masters through punishment. Through this he has also been taught that he is nothing but a worthless creature, that could be killed if he disobeys. Unfortunately, I don't have a degree in psychology, so I can't describe that one in further detail, but it is one of the major factors.

The third factor I came up with is that Danny does not know how to survive outside of the manor. Danny was taken at a young age and has been raised to rely on the Malfoys for everything he needs. He doesn't know how to forage for food or find shelter. He may know about the surrounding area due to his reading, but he has nowhere to go and no way to get there. He has no living family members that he knows of so even if he ran, where would he go? This also plays into the psychological factor, as Danny thinks he's more likely to survive with the Malfoys then to try to survive out in the wild.

I hope this answered your question and I'm sorry this is so long, but it had to be answered. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy, and see you down at the bottom!

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The next morning found me waiting with my Master and his family in front of the main fireplace. "Now listen here boy. When we get to Diagon Alley you are to remain at my side unless I say otherwise. You are to be on your best behavior. Any disobedience will be punished severely, understood?"

"Yes Master." I responded, keep my eyes downcast.

"While we are out there, you are to behave like a normal child so as to not raise suspicion. To the rest of the world you are a Malfoy, one of the most prestigious of families, and you will behave as such while in public. However, in reality you are nothing but a filthy mongrel and you will always be underneath us." I nodded in understanding, I had been told this throughout my whole life and I was accustomated to it. "Let us be off."

Master threw a green powder into the fireplace and I jumped as green flames erupted. "We don't have all day." I flinched at Master's irritated tone and walked towards the fire. I hesitated for a second before I was pushed in from behind.

I did not enjoy the feeling of traveling by fireplace. It felt like I was being squeezed in from all sides while sliding down an endless ramp. Thankfully it was over quickly and I found myself in some sort of tavern or a bar of some sort. I stepped out of the fireplace and brushed the soot off of my clothes and shook it out of my hair.

I turned around in time to see Master's son and wife step through. They both cleaned themselves before looking around the tavern in disgust. "Filthy place, full of all sorts of disgusting creatures." His wife sneered. "I wish they'd let us Apparate straight in so we wouldn't have to pass through this despicable place."

"Now now Narcissa, it wouldn't do to insult the very place you are currently standing in now would it? Come on boys, let's go get your supplies."

I followed them to the back alley and watched as Master tapped the bricks in a strange pattern. I was surprised when the whole wall opened up and revealed a whole different world. The alley was bustling with people, a variety of sounds coming from the open doors that led to stores.

As we walked I couldn't help but gawk at the variety of items available. There were things ranging from broomsticks to cauldrons, from books to wands, from owls to hippogriff feathers. I wanted to check everything out but I had my orders so I stuck to them. That didn't stop me from looking though, so I observed to my heart's content.

When we got to the center, Master came to a stop and we all followed suit. "Narcissa, I want you to take Draco and get his robes, his owl and both the boys' books. I'll take Daniel to get his wand, their cauldrons, and their potion supplies." She nodded and they split from us. "Follow me Daniel." I nodded and we walked back the way we came.

We ended up in front of a store with the name Ollivander's on it. When we walked in I was a little surprised at the state of the store. The whole place was extremely clustered and there were thousands of small boxes stacked precariously.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. I turned to see an old man standing before us, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.

"Good afternoon sir." I responded politely.

"Here for your first wand, am I right?" I nodded. "So Mr. Malfoy, which is your wand hand."

"W-well, I'm right handed." I responded, unsure if that was similar to what he was asking.

"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured me from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round my head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance. We mostly use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."

I noticed the tape measure was moving on its own, since Ollivander was flitting around the store, pulling down boxes. He walked back over with several in his hand and told the measuring tape, "That'll do." That caused the measuring tape to crumple into a heap on the floor.

He opened one of the boxes and pulled out a slim piece of wood. "Try this one out Mr. Malfoy. 8 and three quarters, dragon heartstring birchwood, nice and firm, give it a wave." I took the wand and lifted it slightly before he took it from me.

"No, try this one. Maple and unicorn hair, seven inches, quite swishy." I had for just a second before it was taken out of my hand again.

"This is a juniper wand, in length it is ten and a half inches long and the core is dragon heartstring." Again, I had barely raised the wand before it was snatched out of my hand.

"No no, that won't do. It appears the normal cores won't do for you, perhaps something a bit more exotic." He rushed back into the depths of the store and came back with even more boxes.

I turned when I heard my Master sigh of frustration before he said, "Daniel, I'm going to purchase your Potions supplies and your cauldron. If you get your wand before I return you are to stay here, understood?" I nodded and he left. I turned back to Ollivander.

"Let's see how you do with this. Cherrywood, nine and a quarter inch with griffin feathers, a bit swishy." I grabbed the wand but again it was taken.

"Hmm, this is turning out quite interesting, how about this one, birch, nine and three quarter inches with hippogriff feathers." When I grabbed this one, he actually waited a few seconds before taking it. "Ah, that's the ticket, hold on a second." He dropped most the boxes he held off before running back into the back of the store.

This time he came back holding only four boxes. He opened the first box to show a wand with a light tan body and a darker brown handle. "These wands contain two different types of wood for the body and the handle, as it pairs better with the core. This one is larch wood with a cedar handle, nine inches with hippogriff feathers and lightly springy."

When I grabbed this wand, I instantly knew it was different. I felt a chill run up my spine and down to the tip of the fingers that held the wand. I raised it and brought it down in a light swish and a light blue light came from the tip, freezing the objects in its path. I smiled happily as I looked down at the wood in my hand, this was my wand.

"Bravo, bravo, quite stunning. I haven't seen a wand cast ice as the immediate spell in years. Congratulations Mr. Malfoy."

"Thank you, is there anything I need to do to take care of it?" I asked, looking down at it in awe.

"Yes, of course, let me get the wand care kit." He said before scurrying back into the depths of the store.

I turned to the door as I heard the door open and saw my Master walk in with a frown. I shrunk back on instinct, it was better to be safe and lay low than to make him madder by being in his way. He turned his glare to me and his eyes went right to the wand in my hands. "So you finally got your wand huh? Hand it over now."

He stuck his hand out just as Ollivander walked back over with the kit in his hands. "Mr. Malfoy, may I ask why you are demanding your nephew's wand?"

"I am not demanding it Mr. Ollivander, I was requesting it with a firm tone. The boy has been known to misplace and/or break anything he touches. I don't want him to break his brand new wand before he even gets his wand, so I am going to hold it for him until he leaves."

"Well, I suppose it's not my place to correct you on how to treat your nephew, but perhaps you should give him a chance to prove himself so you won't worry about it when he's at school."

"I'll think about it, come Daniel, we still have to get you fitted for your robes." He continued to hold his hand out and I gave him my new wand. I was a little sad to give it away after just getting it, but it was easier to just in to Master's demands. I got the wand care kit from Ollivander before rushing to catch up with Master.

Thankfully the robe measurements didn't take long and Master had them sent straight to the mansion. We rejoined with Master's wife and son and we grabbed ice cream before heading back to the mansion.

As soon as we got back they started fawning over their son's new robes and wand. I was ready to shrink back and go to my room to think about the day when Master's voice caused me to freeze. "Ghost child, although you behaved well enough, I want to remind you that no matter how others treat you, you are nothing more than a monster to be tamed and trained. Remember that."

"Yes Master."

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Welcome to the bottom guys, glad you stuck around. I'm sorry that's it short and a filler, but I feel it was a little necessary to show Danny getting his wand and how the Malfoys treat him in public. I'm sorry if Lucius is OOC, but I have no idea how to write him.

So the story the Malfoys have for Danny is that he is a distant cousin and he's staying with them while he attends Hogwarts. It's made a little more believable since their family is so huge, they could easily make up some relatives.

Now I had a bit of a hard time coming up with Danny's wand. Most people choose yew wood due to Danny being half dead, but I wanted something that represents more of his personality than being half dead. Then after that I got caught between cedar and larch wood. Both fit him quite well, the key points for the woods differed but fit him quite well.

Cedar represents strength of character and unusual loyalty. It even says that Ollivander had yet to meet the owner of a cedar wand whom he would dare to cross if harm is done to those they are fond of. That the person who is matched to them has the potential to be a frightening adversary that most people underestimate. That to me screams Danny, but that wasn't the only on that caught my eye.

Larch is hard to please when it comes to owners and is trickier to handle. Bearers of larch wands have hidden talents and usually never realize the full extent of their talents until they're matched with the wand. Although it doesn't represent Danny's personality as much as the cedar, it definitely represents his power. The tipping point for me was that it actually instills courage and confidence in the user, and I knew Danny would need it.

So after a few hours of trying to choose one over the other I decided to do the next best thing. I combined the two woods into one. I did some research, and although there can't be two kinds of wood in the base, the handle can be a different kind of wood than the base. So I decided to make the wood representing his power the base, while wood representing his personality is the handle. I got all of the information for wand wood off of the Pottermore Wiki if anyone is interested.

As for the core, I couldn't find anything that fit Danny. Again, most people use thestral to represent Danny being half dead, but when my friend provided a list of core explanations, I didn't think thestral fit him well at all. I was actually leaning towards irish phoenix feather, since they're seen as a sign of death and their users are misunderstood, but my friend convinced me to choose hippogriff. There wasn't really anything significant about hippogriff feathers, other than the fact that their users must show respect and they're usually combined with other unstable cores to properly stabilize them.

To me this also fit Danny in its own way. Danny doesn't have anything that makes him stick out to those around him. He learned how to show respect to everyone at a young age so he won't have trouble with that. His calm and submissive behavior is able to balance the rash or unbalanced emotions of those around him.

For this reason, I stuck with this core over any other. The reason I left it as pure hippogriff feathers instead of combining it with another core is that in a way, is that these are the most prominent features Danny has. He hasn't been given the opportunity to develop the way other children have. He is merely a stable child that knows how to respect those around him.

Anyways, that's all I have to say for now. Sorry it's such a long read, but I knew some of you might be curious about my choices for Danny's wand. Love it, hate it, just review it, buh-bye!


	3. Sorting Ceremony

Hi guys, I'm back with a new chapter! I wanted to thank everyone for their reviews and for those who added this story to their Favorite/Follow list.

So this chapter, you finally get to learn about which House Danny's being Sorted into, anyone excited? A lot of this chapter was actually taken from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, as I didn't want to end up slaughtering the description. So if any of it seems familiar, now you know. That's it for now, see you at the bottom.

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Several weeks later found Danny and the Malfoy family at Platform 9 and three quarters. Danny nervously watched everyone walking and talking around him. His master and wife were talking to both boys, but Danny wasn't able to focus on what they were saying while he was trying to focus on everyone else.

He had learned that most wizards and witches that had come to his master's mansion would hurt him if given the opportunity, to teach him his place as his master put it. He was waiting for someone to pull out their wand and do the same to him.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when his master cleared his throat. His eyes darted up to his master's before going down to the floor.

"Well boys, I think it's time for you to get on the train. Remember to uphold the Malfoy name, after all, we will know if you don't." Lucius fixed both boys with a glare before saying, "Remember Daniel, listen to your cousin, Draco, watch out for him."

To others around him it may have sounded like a father/uncle reminding one boy to behave and the other to watch out for him, but Danny knew the true meaning behind the words. Listen to whatever orders Draco gave him or there'd be hell to play.

Lucius and Narcissa bid the boys farewell before they boarded the train. Danny followed behind Draco, unsure of what to do since neither his master nor his master's son had given him an order.

A few seconds later Draco turned on the young half ghost with a snarl. "Get away from me you bloody mongrel, sharing a last name's bad enough, I don't want people to associate the two of us more than necessary."

Danny shied away from Draco, if he was anything like his father, then it was better for Danny to keep away when he was in this mood. He turned and decided to head down the other side of the train, that way he was less likely to run into his master's son and piss him off even more.

As he walked down the hallway he decided to take a look into the little rooms on both sides. All of them had a variety of students in them, ranging in age and gender. They were either immersed in books or chatting amongst themselves. Danny avoided all of them, he didn't want to interact with any of them, in fear of them either punishing him or them reporting to his master and being punished as soon as he returned.

He was so busy looking into the compartments he didn't see where he was going and he ended bumping into a young girl. He squeaked in alarm as they both tumbled to the ground, Danny scrambled to his feet and watched warily as the girl stood up and shook herself off.

She huffed angrily as she turned her gaze to the person who had caused her to fall. "You do know its common courtesy to apologize when you run into someone right?" The boy's eyes diverted his eyes before mumbling a small apology.

Danny turned to the side to let the girl pass him this time before returning to his search for an empty compartment.

In the end all of the compartments were filled with people so he hid in one of the bathrooms on the train. Only a few people knocked on the bathroom door, but for the most part he was left alone. He spent most of the train ride reading through his schoolbooks, making sure he knew everything inside of them. He took a small break to change into his robes and use the bathroom, but he never left the bathroom.

Eventually the train came to a stop and Danny wondered if the ride was over. Danny peaked out of the bathroom and saw that all of the students were leaving the compartments. He closed the door to grab his trunk before joining the rest of the group.

He kept his head ducked as they walked through the train and out onto the train platform. He was going to follow the majority of the students until he heard a booming voice call out "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" Danny looked up to see a really large man holding a lamp and calling for the first year students. Danny's heart panged at the sight of him, the man reminded him of his own father in a weird way, probably because of his build.

"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, all of the students followed the large man down what seemed to be a steep narrow path. Danny tried to look around at his surroundings, but it was too dark for him to see anything around them.

"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," The large man called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud "Oooooh!"

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" The tall man called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Danny got into a random boat with two boys and girl already in it. "Everyone in?" shouted the man, who had a boat to himself. "Right then - FORWARD!"

And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled the man as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

The tall man ended up finding a toad in one of the boats and returned it to its owner before they moved forward. They walked up a passage in the rock, following the man's lamp and ended up coming out onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadows of the castle.

They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Danny was really curious about this kid's toad, why did it keep running away?

The man raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Danny's instinct told him was someone who deserved complete respect.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said the man.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was huge, bigger than even the Malfoy mansion. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Danny could hear hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right, which put him slightly on edge, but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, most of the kids standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously. Danny however, kept his distance from the students, still not sure if he could trust them.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Danny watched as some of the students around him tried to straighten out their appearance. He didn't move though he had cleaned himself up while he was in the bathroom.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

Danny listened as he heard the students around him talk about the Sorting. He doubted there would be any form of physical test, but none of the books he read said anything about the Sorting process, so he had no idea what was in store for him.

Danny gasped when a cold shiver ran up his spine and puff of blue air escaped from his mouth. He heard other students around him gasp and scream as about 20 ghosts glided into the room.

Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance -"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here?" A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years. Nobody answered.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?" A few people nodded mutely.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Danny moved with the rest of the group into a line, ending up behind a girl with puffy brown hair and in front of a boy with brown hair and green eyes and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

Even after all the reading he had done, Danny was not prepared for what he saw. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them.

Danny's attention was quickly grabbed by the black ceiling that was dotted with little white stars. He had read about that as well, but his love for the stars made it the most amazing thing to him. He quickly located the constellations he knew, and was busy tracing invisible lines between them when he heard the hall go silent.

He saw Professor McGonagall silently place a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.

For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

if you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

So that was how Sorting worked, Danny thought, didn't seem too difficult.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause -

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Danny saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.

" Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Sometimes, Danny noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," another boy went up to the seat, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.

"Granger, Hermione!" The girl in front of him, who ended up being the girl he ran into on the train, almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat.

When Neville Longbottom, the boy who had lost his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."

Danny became nervous when he realized his name would be coming up soon. When Professor McGonagall finally called out "Malfoy, Daniel," He gulped and walked up to the stool.

He sat on the stool and the professor put the Sorting Hat on his head.

"Hmm," Said a small voice in his ear. "Interesting, very interesting. You have quite a thirst for knowledge, but not the wit or individuality. You're upbringing didn't leave you with much courage or ambition. What you need is the support of others to help you move on, and the perfect House for this would be—HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouted the last word out so the rest of the hall could hear it.

Danny took off the hat and made his way to the table where the others Sorted into Hufflepuff went. He took a seat and watched the rest of the Sorting take place.

He watched as his master's son was Sorted into Slytherin and several more students were Sorted into other Houses.

As "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.

Danny looked down at his empty gold plate. He hadn't eaten at all that day, he had been too nervous to eat breakfast, and now he was starving.

An older man, who Danny recognized as Albus Dumbledore, had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

"Thank you!"

He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered, Danny cocked his head in confusion before turning back to the table. Only to find all the plates piled with all kinds of food. Danny's mouth watered at the sight and he quickly filled his plate with all kinds of food. He dug into his food, wolfing it all down. However, he did pace himself. He wasn't used to eating so much food back at the mansion, he usually got smaller portions than his master's family.

Danny heard other students around him talking about all kinds of things, ranging from parents to classwork, to even pets." Danny kept out of it though, still not wanting to interact with others, mostly out of fear.

When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding.

Danny's eyes lit up, he hadn't had sweets since he was 4. Although his master had gotten him ice cream when they went to Diagon Alley, that had only been for show. He never got a treat when he was at the mansion. Like with dinner, he took some of everything, trying to find what his favorites were. He discovered that very much like his father, he had a love for fudge.

At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.

"Ahern - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!" And the school bellowed:

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot.

Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only two students were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.

"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

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So what do you guys think? Sorry if the spacing is weird for the school song and the Sorting Hat's song, but that's how it was spaced in the book and I didn't want to change that.

Now that you know which House I Sorted Danny into, anyone want to guess why I Sorted him into this particular House. I did give a little bit of the reason through the Sorting Hat, but I was wondering if you guys can figure out why that House in particular.

Anyways, that's all for now. Love it, hate it, just review it! Buh-bye!


	4. Bedrooms and Potions

Hey guys, I'm here with another chapter. Thank you so much for all the reviews, faves and follows. It makes me happy that I decided to write this. I'm sorry it took so long between updates; I've been working on one of my stories that I am more emotionally invested in. It's one of favorites to write as I have been working on it for almost 4 years. Don't worry though, this story is still on my priority list, even if it's not number one. There's not much else for me to say here, so enjoy!

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As the other kids at the table I was sitting at stood up, I did the same. I was exhausted from all the excitement and nervousness combined with the delicious and heavy food in my stomach. Hopefully they were going somewhere we could sleep.

It seemed the whole school was walking in the same direction, which made me wonder how we were going to find our common rooms. I had read that each of the four Houses had their own common room and their own way to keep other students from different Houses from coming in.

When we got to the Main Hall, I heard different voices calling out for different Houses, and the massive mob split into four as students split to find their Housemates. I listened for the voice calling for Hufflepuffs and walked towards the older student who had called out for us.

I waited as the other students in the same House and year as me gathered in one area. "Everybody here?" When nobody said anything he continued. "Alright, then follow me, we'll be going to your new home for the next seven years."

As we walked through the halls the other students started talking excitedly. I had no idea how they could be so energetic after that amazing dinner, I was ready to curl into a ball on the floor and sleep. I noticed that we were heading down stairs and wondered if we were heading into the dungeons.

I was surprised when we came to a stop in front of a stack of barrels. There were no doors visible so I was curious about how we were going to get in.

"Now as some of you may know from family or friends, the Hufflepuff entrance is the only entrance that doesn't require some form of password. Instead you must tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, in the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff, observe." We all watched as the teen tapped the barrels in the order he just explained. I was surprised when the barrel's lid swung open revealing a tunnel passage.

"You should also know that our common room is the only one who has never had someone from another House inside. If the wrong lid is tapped or the wrong rhythm is used, the intruder will be doused in vinegar and barred entrance. So make sure you remember the pattern and rhythm so you don't get locked out. Now everyone."

The entrance was surprisingly large. We did have to crawl on our hands and knees to get in the passage but it was wide enough for three people to crawl shoulder to shoulder. I hung at the back of the group, not wanting to draw attention to myself. We crawled up a slight incline and eventually came to another door. I was the last person to crawl through the door and closed the door behind me.

The room was round, earthy, low-ceilinged, welcoming and warm. There were lots of yellow hangings, burnished copper, and overstuffed sofa and armchairs upholstered in yellow and black. There were circular windows that I couldn't see out of due to the darkness. The floors, rafters and panels were made of a honey colored wood and the walls made of a light tan stone.

There was a variety of plants scattered around the room, resting on windows or hanging from the ceiling. In the back, opposite of where we had entered was a large, honey colored wooden mantelpiece with carvings of badgers on it. Above it was a portrait of a woman I recognized as Helga Hufflepuff. On both sides of the wall were barrel lids that must have led other rooms. There were 7 on each side and placed in a zigzag fashion.

"The barrel lids lead to different dorms; your dorm rooms are the lid third from this door. The ones next to the mantelpiece lead to the bathrooms as well as the baths. The kitchen is also just down the hall from the entrance and the house elves will be happy to get you anything if you're hungry. There are a list of the common room rules in both the dorm rooms and here in the common room. Now, off to bed with you. You'll know which room is yours as your possessions will be in the room by which bed you have been assigned, sleep well and good night."

I followed the 14 other boys in my year to the door and waited for them to start going in. We crawled down an incline and came to a part in the tunnel. There were three different tunnels we could go in, and we had to figure out which led to our room. I followed 4 other boys down the path to the left, and climbed even more downwards before we got to a door.

As I followed the last person in, I looked around. The room was circular just like the common room, the room itself had darker tones to it. The bottom half of the walls were a light tan color while the top half were made of a brown wood. The trim and the floor were made of dark oak wood. The entire room was illuminated by warm copper lamps.

The beds were positioned in a crescent shape around the room and had a few feet between them. The beds themselves looked warm and inviting. They were large four poster beds covered in patchwork quilts. Besides the beds on the walls were copper bed warmers.

The other boys walked over to four of the beds, I spotted my trunk in front of the second bed to my left. I walked over to it and sat on the bed. I watched the other boys as they rummaged around in their trunks and started pulling things out. One boy even had a cat with him, laying on the pillow on his bed. The boy to my right pulled out a poster for a professional Quidditch team and put it up on the wall.

Eventually they all changed into their pajamas and pulled the curtains around to block themselves from view. I quickly changed into my own pajamas before grabbing the quilt and pillow, laying them down on

the ground. I laid down on the quilt and curled up into a ball, covering myself with part of the quilt before falling asleep.

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When I woke up I noticed my roommates were getting up and crawling out of the room. I yawned as I stretched out. The quilt was so much more comfortable than the ratty blankets that Master had given me to sleep with. I folded up my quilt and placed it back on the bed before crawling through the tunnel door.

In the common room I saw several students from the other years rushing around, getting stuff ready. I figured it was better to get ready then go eat. That way I wasn't rushing to get everything done and eat at the same time. I went back and grabbed my toiletries before going to the bathrooms.

I finished getting ready and headed down to the kitchen for breakfast. I was almost never allowed in the dining room back with Master, and last night was probably a special occasion. I did not want to risk being punished to sit and eat comfortably.

I came to a door that had a painting of fruit on it. When I didn't see any kind of door handle, I decided to just phase through it. I wasn't supposed to use my powers around others, but there wasn't anyone around to see. When I appeared on the other side, I became solid and continued walking towards the kitchen. I could just phase through the walls to get there but I didn't want to scare the house elves, Dobby had gotten used to my powers but it would probably scare the others straight.

I opened the door to the huge room. The kitchen was a gigantic, high-ceilinged room with five tables identical to the ones in the Great Hall, they were even in the exact same position. There were large quantities of pots and pans heaped around the stone walls on counter-tops and stoves. A large brick fireplace was set in the wall at the other end of the hall from the door.

I could see hundreds of house elves scurrying around getting stuff ready for the next meal. A few of them caught sight of me and rushed me, practically falling all over me.

"What can we help you with sir?" One of them squeaked out.

"Can I have my breakfast please?" I asked politely.

"Breakfast is served in the Grand Hall sir, there's still some up there right now." Another one piped up.

I shook my head in response. "I can't eat up there, my Master doesn't like me eating with him and the other wizards. At home I ate in the kitchen with Master's house elf." The house elves looked a little worried before nodded and scurried off.

One of them brought me a little stool to sit on while another brought me a plate piled with food. I tried to tell them that it was too much for me to eat but they were having none of it so I had no choice but to eat it. I started off eating quickly but I started to slow down about three quarters of the way through. When I finished I moved to wash my dishes but the house elves rushed over and took my dishes from me before I could get two feet.

I tried to see if the house elves needed help with anything but they kept shooing me away. Eventually one of them reminded me that I had classes to attend and I headed upstairs. I saw a few of my Housemates in my year walking out of the Great Hall. I followed behind them since I had no idea what classes I had.

As we walked down to the dungeon I wondered just what class we were going to. I was both excited and terrified to attend my first class. I was absolutely terrified of being in a single room with so many wizards and witches, and the teacher must be so much more powerful to be teaching others. But I was also really excited to learn from someone who did it for a living. I could read as many books as I wanted, but if I had no hands on learning, then I wouldn't really learn anything.

The students in front of me came to a halt in front of a heavy wooden door. I waited patiently for them to open the door and enter before going in myself.

The room was much colder than the main castle, and was a startling contrast to the Hufflepuff common room. Where the common room had a warm and homey feel to it, this place was cold and uninviting. The walls were made entirely of stone and the room was shaped sort of in an oval. It looked large enough to fit at least twenty other students. The walls were lined with jars filled with all kinds of things, like pickled animals.

In one corner of the room stood a basin with a gargoyle shaped faucet over it. In another corner was some sort of cupboard. At the front of the classroom was a blackboard.

Standing at the front of the blackboard was a man with black hair, a hooked nose and pale skin. The aura he gave off instantly made me want to cower and hide in the corner. I had to fight the urge to turn invisible in front of the entire class. Instead, I shrunk in on myself and scurried to a seat as fast as possible.

When the rest of the students finished filing in, the teacher called roll. As soon as he finished calling out everyone's name he started talking.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potionmaking," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

He started calling other students out and asking them questions about different potions or potion ingredients. I had already pulled out my quill and parchment and was copying down what he was saying, He was still a brilliant teacher with years of experience, there was so much I could learn from him, even if he terrified me.

"Mr. Malfoy." I jumped in surprise at my name being called. "Since it seems you're more interested in writing rather than what I'm teaching, perhaps you already know what I'm saying." I shook my head in disagreement. "Tell me Mr. Malfoy, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Ooh, I knew this one, I had been reading it on the train. "Asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death."

"Correct Mr. Malfoy. Well, why isn't anyone else copying this down?" There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment.

After asking everyone a question about potions, he wrote down instructions for making a potion and had us start it. From the ingredients it looked like it was some sort boil curing potion. I was paired up with another student and we set out to making it.

As I weighed the pine needles and my partner crushed the snake fangs, I watched as professor Snape walked around, analyzing each group. When he came to my table he stopped, I froze for a second, petrified. However, my partner snapped me out of it by asking me to add the pine needles, potion making needed to be precise, and me freezing up could ruin it. This was my first potion and I didn't want to screw it up.

"Mr. Malfoy, meet me after class, I want to discuss your attitude earlier." I gulped in nervousness before nodding, I did not want to tick him off.

I sighed in relief as he walked away, the vibe he was giving off was absolutely terrifying, enough to even match that of Master's on his bad days. I was scared about him wanting to see after class though, I didn't think I had done anything to deserve being punished. Maybe he was like Master though and took anything as an excuse to punish me. There wasn't any way for me to know until class actually ended, all I had to do was wait and work on the potion.

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Welcome to the bottom everyone, did you enjoy? Any guesses on why Snape wants to see him after class? Is it really about how he acted in class or is it something elses?

So I used the description of the Hufflepuff common room, the kitchen and the dungeon from the Harry Potter wiki if anyone was interested. However, I did also get some ideas for it by looking up 'Hufflepuff common room.' As for the dorm room a lot of it was based off an image I got from looking up 'Hufflepuff dorm room.

Anyways, that's it for now guys. Love it, hate it, just review it! Buh-bye!


	5. Meetings of All Kinds

Hey everybody, I'm back with a new chapter. I'm so sorry for the delay, I've had a lot of things going on in my life recently and I have major writer's block for it. I've had to keep pushing myself to come up with things so I could get you guys the next chapter. I'm so sorry if there are mistakes or something doesn't make sense. I'll try to answer any questions you guys have. Thank you guys so much for the favorites, follows and reviews, they were the things that kept pushing me to write this chapter.

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For the rest of the class, I focused on nothing but making the potion as perfect as possible. I kept as quiet as possible, not wanting to upset my partner or draw attention to myself. My partner was actually pretty nice. He didn't raise his voice at me or get angry if I didn't answer any of his questions, he just shrugged it off and kept working on the potion. Even when we were sitting back and letting the potion brew, he didn't ask any questions.

By the end of the class Professor Snape had criticized most of the class' potions, but everyone had been successful in brewing the potion. As everyone started packing their bags, getting ready to head to their next class, the professor spoke.

"Mr. Malfoy, don't forget that I want to speak with you after class." I lowered my head, nodding in acknowledgement. I had been able to forget about it while I was brewing the potion, but now it was coming back full force.

As the other students left, I waited patiently in my seat. When the last student left, Professor Snape asked me to come forward. I shrank in on myself as I made my way to his desk, trying to avoid making eye contact.

When I reached him I came to a stop, keeping my eyes cast downwards like I was taught.

"Mr. Malfoy." He said harshly, I stayed silent, not making a single move. "Daniel." My eyes shot up, surprised as he said my name softer. I hadn't heard my own name in a long time, nobody besides the hat had called me by my first name. Master refused to acknowledge that I even had one, as did all the other wizards who came to the Master's house.

"The organization your master and I are in has ordered me to keep an eye on you while you're here. They don't believe you'll remain under their control while you're here. So I'm here to make sure you remember just who you are, and who you answer to." I lowered my gaze hearing that, this man worked for my Master and just wanted to make sure I stayed loyal, figures one of my teachers would be working for him.

"However," My head shot up at that, what more could there be? "I don't agree with that. I know what you are Daniel, and what you are capable of. You are a powerful being, and if the Dark Lord were to be resurrected and have control of your power, the world would be doomed. You must not ever fall into his hands, you must learn to protect yourself, and think for yourself."

"You won't have to worry about me punishing you or reporting you to your master. You can come to me if you have any problems or questions, and you'll have nothing to fear from me. I will be here to support you if you ever need anything, so don't be afraid to come to me." I looked at him and saw a sort of softness in his gaze. "I need to remind you, that there are students here who's family also work for the organization, so I must treat you as is expected of me when others are around. Any other time, you can come to me, understand?" I nodded, stunned by what he was saying.

"Now, off to class with you, I believe you should have Herbology next. It should take place in the greenhouses outside the castle. I trust you can find it on your own?"

I nodded again, replying with "Thank you Professor, I-I'll come if I need anything." With that I went invisible and intangible, not wanting to risk getting lost in such a huge place. I walked through several walls and classes before I was able to make it outside.

I quickly became visible again and walked around the castle, looking for the greenhouses. Thankfully I was able to catch a glimpse of some of my Housemates turning a corner. I ran to catch up with them and entered the greenhouse right behind them.

The Herbology teacher turned out to be our Head of House. She was small, stout, and seemed quite nice. For our first lesson she instructed us on how to trim and water a relatively safe plant in the greenhouse. The only danger with it was that if it was clipped the wrong way, it released a gas that paralyzed the person in front of it for up to 5 hours. She demonstrated how to safely trim it in front of the entire class and then set us in groups of 4 to take care of it.

I was put in the same group as my Potions partner and I began to work carefully. I had no experience with plants before, so I was a little worried about messing up. Most of the students were quiet for the entirety of class, too busy concentrating to talk.

The end of class thankfully came without any incidents. Most of the students were too nervous to actually get a lot progress done though, so that may have been one of the reasons. Professor Sprout, which I had heard other students call her, let us out while our luck was still high and the casualties low. As we walked out of the greenhouse I could hear some of my housemates talking excitedly about the other classes we were going to attend. From what they were saying, it sounded like we had Charms next, followed by lunch, then History of Magic.

It seemed like none of the others had any idea where either classes were. So our only other options were wandering around or asking for directions. The only reason they seemed to know where the past two were was because they had gotten help from their older Housemates to the dungeon and the greenhouses were kind of obvious.

I split from the rest of the group, there was no point following them if they didn't know where they were going. I had no idea where anything was, but I didn't want to risk ask anyone for help, especially somebody that could be working for my master. I sighed as I kept walking, I just hoped I wasn't late or that the teacher wouldn't be upset if I was.

While I was walking, I failed to pay attention and bumped into the back of someone. I gasped and they let out a small squeak.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry." We both seemed to say at the same time. The kid I walked into turned around and I recognized my Potions partner. Great, I had just run into the one person who was a tiny bit nice to me, but why had he apologized? I had run into him, he should be upset, not apologizing.

He pushed his glasses up as they seemed to have slipped down a bit. I glanced up and caught a good look at him. His hair was short and strawberry blond that was slightly wavy, one strand rebelliously stuck out from the rest, a curl at the end. His eyes were violet and were hidden behind a pair of glasses with a silver frame.

The boy's eyes averted away from mine, looking towards the ground. I was a bit stunned at that, nobody averted their gaze from mine, it was always the other way around.

"I'm sorry, I should have watched where I was going." I told him, not wanting him to tell my master if he was working with him and the others. When he didn't say anything I started to get nervous, had I really upset him? When he spoke up I was a bit surprised.

"It's okay, I'm used to it by now. No one really pays attention to me so it happens all the time." The boy responded, a sad smile on his face. "You're my Potions partner right?" I nodded, surprised he remembered. "I never asked for your name, I'm Matthew Williams." The boy, Matthew, offered his hand.

"I-I'm Daniel Malfoy." I responded shakily, unsure if it was okay for me to be telling others my name. I cautiously grabbed his hand and he shook it a few times before letting it go.

"Nice to meet you Daniel, now I have to try to find our next class." Matthew started walking down the halls and I followed, a few feet behind. Neither of us knew where our class was, but I didn't want to be caught out of class alone.

Although it seemed like we were walking in circles eventually we were able to find our class. Thankfully we weren't the last ones, there seemed to be quite a few empty seats. I took a seat in the far back of the class and was surprised when Matthew took the seat to my left.

I shook it off and pulled my Charms book out and started reading through it again, this was another class I was excited for. In fact, I was excited for all of my classes, especially Astronomy, I wanted to learn as much as I could.

 **~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.**

Again, I'm so sorry guys. I know it's short, but this was all I could come up with and I thought this was a fine ending point. If Snape seems OOC, I apologize, but this was what I've had planned from the beginning of the story and fits in with later plot.

Matthew Williams is not actually a character I own or an OC. He does belong to another fandom and I decided to borrow him for my story. Anyone who knows which fandom he's from gets a cookie and a secret prize. I needed a character who's soft spoken, gentle, and caring and he was perfect, so you will be seeing a lot more of him through the story.

Anyways, that's it for now, sorry for it being so short. Love it, hate it, just review it. Buh-bye!

Edit: Fixed two typos that were bugging me and changed Matthew's appearance to a more popular version.


	6. Even More Classes

Hey everybody, I'm back! I felt bad about how short last chapter was, and it was still fresh on my mind so I decided to crank out another chapter for you guys. I'm glad you guys liked last chapter and that Matthew was well received by you guys.

Several people did get the fandom he's from correct, and I still have yet to PM all of you with your prize. For those who don't know, Matthew Williams is from the anime/manga/webcomic Hetalia, and he is the personification of Canada. He is my favorite character, and I wanted so badly to bring him in, but was unsure how you guys would feel about him. Thanks everybody for not making me regret the decision. That's all for now, enjoy!

~.~.~.~.~.

The class was silent as we waited for the rest of the students to come in. It took quite a while but eventually everyone else was in. Unfortunately, more than half the class time was over, so there was even less time to learn anything. The professor didn't seem too upset about it though, launching into a speech.

"Hello class, and welcome to your first day of Charms. Now, as today is more of an orientation, you don't have to worry about being late. Due to your large size, tomorrow you will split into smaller groups and given schedules that varies depending on which group you're assigned to. Today is merely to help you guys find your classes and introduce you to the basics of each class. Tomorrow you will get your assignments and schedule at breakfast in the Grand Hall, so try not to miss it."

"Unfortunately we do not have enough time to start on a full lesson for today, so in preparation for tomorrow's lesson, I want you all to read the first chapter of _The Standard Book of Spells_ , and tomorrow we will get into the lesson." Some of the other students groaned, but I shrugged it off and went back to my book.

While some of the students read their books, the others talked amongst each other. I was a little confused at that. Wouldn't it be easier to do the reading right now so they didn't have to worry about it later? The professor was giving us the rest of the class off, so it wasn't like there was an excuse to not do it right now.

I shook it off and went back to reading. I didn't even know why I was worrying about others, I should just worry about my own studies. So apparently I needed to go to the Grand Hall tomorrow morning to get my schedule, hopefully I won't get in trouble for getting it, it was very important for my classes. I didn't want to end up going into the wrong class and getting in trouble.

I was so absorbed in my thoughts, I jumped when someone poked my shoulder. I turned and saw Matthew next to me. "Sorry, I tried calling your name a few times and you didn't seem to hear me, that was the only other thing I could think of." He gave me an apologetic smile before saying "Class is over, it's time for lunch."

"Oh, umm, thanks." I put my book back into my bag and slung it over my shoulder as I stood up. I turned in time to see Matthew walking out of the room with the rest of the class.

I followed the group until we got to the Grand Hall, but then I split away, heading towards the Hufflepuff common room. From there I headed towards where I remember the door that led to the kitchen was.

When I came to the painting, I looked at it, a little confused. I could easily phase through it, but I wanted to figure out how to get through if somebody else was watching or following me. At first glance it didn't look like there was any kind of doorknob. I knew there had to be another way into it though, so I decided to try something.

I ran my hands along the painting, trying to find an indent or any kind of opening. As I ran my hands along the pear, something gave a giggle. I jumped back in surprise, looking for whoever made that noise, had someone followed me down here? After a few seconds of letting my heart beat slowed back to normal, I took a few hesitant steps towards the painting. Had it been the thing that had giggled Maybe that meant I had almost figured it out.

I put my hand back on the painting and ran it along the pear. There was another giggle and I figured out that the painting had indeed giggled. Once my hand moved from the pear though, it stopped. I went back to stroking the pear, and it resumed giggling. I was surprised when after a few seconds the pear vanished, and in its place was a small green doorknob.

So that was the trick, I just had to pet the pear until it turned into a doorknob. That was good to know for later. I grabbed the knob and turned it, happy when it opened into the hallway I had phased into this morning. I definitely knew my way to the kitchen from here, so there wouldn't be a problem if I had someone following me.

When I got to the kitchen I was greeted in almost the exact same manner as this morning. Thankfully though, none of them questioned what I was doing down here this time. They just plopped me in a seat and handed me a plate of food before scurrying off to do other tasks. I happily chowed down on the food, this was the first time I had eaten such delicious meals in a row. Hopefully it stayed that way while I was at school.

Eventually I was shooed out of the kitchen when I tried helping and was left to wander the castle in search of my History of Magic class. As I walked through the halls, I felt a shiver run up my spine, and when I breathed out, my breath was a visible blue mist. I looked around in confusion, what the heck would cause that? It wasn't like the temperature had dropped enough for my breath to become visible.

I jumped when something came through the wall. I stared at the thing that came out of the wall, it looked like a human, but it was floating, translucent, and had a silvery sheen.

"Oh, hello there, are you looking for your class?" I nodded in shock. "What class are you looking for?

"Umm, History of Magic I think." I responded uneasily. He made me think of the ghosts mom and dad used to tell me about. This one didn't look like he was going to attack me though. In fact, it looked like he wasn't going to be hurting anyone any time soon.

"Ah, Professor Binns' class. You're not that far from it actually, if you take a left up ahead, it's the third door on your left." The ghost gave me directions and I thanked him before heading off.

Thankfully with the ghost's directions I was able to get to class before most others. I found a seat in the back and sat down. I pulled out by History book and leafed through it. I had read several history books back at master's house, but this one was really boring compared to the others. It was full of laws and goblin rebellions.

A chill ran up my spine and my breath escaped in a blue mist. I looked up from my book in time to see another ghost phase into the classroom. The handful of other students that were present all stared at the ghost as he took the spot behind the podium.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "Good afternoon class and welcome to History of Magic, I am your professor for this class, now please get your books out and turn to chapter one. Today we will begin the section on the troll riots and-"

"Professor." One student interrupted him, her arm shooting straight up.

"Yes Miss Periwinkle?" The teacher asked in his boring droning voice.

"Actually, it's Peters, but, the other students aren't here yet professor. Shouldn't we wait for the rest of the class to get here before we start?"

"Nonsense Miss Parkers. They can catch up on their own time, now, as I was saying, please turn to the first page of the first chapter." He started to drone about the chapter a

"Wow, he really doesn't are about the others eh?" I nearly jumped out of my seat when a voice spoke up next to me.

I turned to see Matthew sitting in the chair next to me. When had he gotten there? That seat was empty when I came in.

"When did you get here?" I asked, wondering if maybe he had snuck in while the teacher was talking.

"I've been here the entire time, my brother had this class earlier so he showed it to me before lunch ended and I showed him where Charms was. Let me guess, you weren't able to see me when you got here." I nodded sheepishly. He gave an almost silent sigh. "Don't worry, it's not your fault, I've had that problem since I was 5. Papa swears mom must have dropped me in a cauldron of Vanishing Potion when I was a baby and dropped my brother in a cauldron of Super Strength Elixir." He explained.

"Oh, well, maybe he knows the lesson will be easy for the others to catch up on. It is the first class after all." I said as I tried to figure out the professor's reason for brushing off the other students' absence.

"That would make sense, well at least we'll be able to help any of the others out if they have any questions." Matthew responded.

As the class went along I felt myself growing more and more bored. The book itself may have been boring, but this class was downright mind numbing. I felt myself start to drift off to sleep, despite my best attempts to pay attention. I was thankful when we got the sign that we were to be dismissed.

The professor didn't seem to notice and kept droning on about some troll who was apparently responsible for starting the riot. A few students tried to get his attention, but to no avail, he kept talking about the riots. Eventually we all left the room, hopefully his next class would have better luck with him.

I followed behind Matthew, hoping he had some sort of idea what and where our next class. Thankfully he seemed to know where he was going and in only a couple of minutes we were seated in an odd looking classroom.

The layout was very similar to our History of Magic class. The entrance to the class was at the front of the class which meant we had to pass by the professor's desk to get to our desks. Our desks were set in rows facing the professor's desk. The professor's desk was elevated due to being a step higher than the rest of the classroom, and behind the desk was a small staircase that led to a door.

None of that was what had made it odd though. The walls were covered in papers with weird scribbles on them, crucifixes, and what seemed to be cloves of garlic. Overhead was what appeared to be the skeleton of a dragon, as well as a normal looking iron chandelier. The whole room stunk of garlic and it was not a smell I was fond of.

I took a seat in the back like normal, and waited for the professor to enter. The professor wore the normal robes that everybody here seemed to wear. However, he also wore a purple turban on his head. He was very twitchy and spoke with a stutter. The entire class he looked like he was going to pass out from who knows what.

Like Professor Flitwick, he explained that today was merely an orientation for the first years so we could get a feel for the classes and learn where they were located. He also assigned us to read the first chapter of our Defense Against the Dark Arts books before giving us the rest of the class off.

Something about him didn't feel right to me. I don't know what it was, but he definitely didn't feel like a normal person to me. Whatever it was had me on edge and I wasn't sure how to feel about that.

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Welcome to the bottom everyone, did you guys enjoy it? I actually goofed up last chapter because I was so desperate to get it out to you guys, but I decided to roll with it since it wasn't too big of a goof. We're never told how the students find any of their classes or how the classes are sorted out. So I made it that the first day is orientation where the first years learn where all their classes are.

According to Pottermore, Hufflepuff is the largest House in all of Hogwarts. As such I imagine that each year has upwards of 30+ students and that they need to be split into two groups to make it easier for the professors.

We have two more classes before Danny's first day of Hogwarts is over, sorry if you guys think it's taking too long, I didn't want to rush through it too fast. I promise it won't take this long to get through every single day.

For those of you who know Hetalia, I have two questions. First, did you guys like how I wrote Mattie? I've never written him before so I have no idea if he's OOC. Second, how do you guys feel about me bringing Alfred in? I did mention him this chapter, but if you guys don't think he should be in, it could just be a background thing.

Anyways, that's all for now. Love it, hate it, just review it. Buh-bye!


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